Getting started - Semester 1 2017

21 Feb 2017

21 February 2017

Make your course available to students

Most students start looking for their courses in Learn.UQ during O-Week (now). Remember to make your course available to students as soon as you think it’s ready. Activation is the coordinator’s responsibility, using the instructions below.

Control Panel > Customisation > Properties > Set Availability and select the Yes radio button. Refer to the Course Availability guide or video for step-by-step instructions.

Record clear audio at your lectures

One of the easiest ways to make your students happy is to ensure that the recordings from your lectures are clear and audible. Students rely heavily on clear audio for their revision. Make sure that when you deliver your lectures, you stand in close proximity to the lectern or use a radio microphone to improve the quality of your recordings.

Staff using student accounts

If you have students teaching or tutoring in your course, you need to enrol them using their staff usernames (you may have to ask them to apply for an account). Tutors enrolled in your course using a student account will receive three notifications and after 28 days, their access to the course will be disabled. External (nk_) accounts are not an acceptable alternative for UQ staff.

Turnitin assignments

Turnitin is the most popular choice for online assignment submission. Turnitin is particularly good for text-based assignments like (e.g. Word, PDF and PowerPoint) but can also be used for non-submission assessment like oral presentations. Turnitin has an online marking and feedback capability, which includes a text matching function to help coordinators gauge originality. The text matching report compares submissions with web content, previously submitted assignments and journals. For further information, refer to the Turnitin guide or alternatively attend a Turnitin workshop.

Blackboard group assignments

Using the Groups and Blackboard Assignment tool in combination, allows you to set up group project submission links. Any student in the group can submit the assignment and all members automatically receive the assignment results and feedback. The Blackboard online marking function allows you to annotate assignments and provide feedback using a rubric. For further information, refer to the Groups and Assignment tool guides.

Video assignments

Kaltura, UQ's eLearning video server, can be used by students to submit video assignments. You can also set up submission links using the Blackboard Assignment tool, which allows you to use the online marking function to give comments and feedback using a rubric.

Setting up project / assessment groups

The Groups tool can be used to organise students into project / assessment groups. The most popular Group tool is the Self Enrol – Group set. The Self-Enrol – Group set allows the instructor to create a signup sheet for the students to self-allocate themselves to a group. Refer to the Groups guide for step-by-step instructions or refer to the video guide.

Group Peer Assessment Tool

The Learn.UQ Group Peer Assessment tool lets student’s rate relative contributions to group projects. The tool includes features to collect student responses, collate responses, calculate average scores, email non-submitters, facilitate moderation of results and return results to the Grade Centre. Refer to the Group Peer Assessment Tool guide for step-by-step instructions on creating a Group Peer Assessment.

eLearning Solutions Service - ELSS

The eLearning Solutions Service offers one-on-one consultations on the integration of eLearning into courses. At the start of each semester, staff can nominate to use this service to help implement a centrally supported eLearning tool. Support will be provided for the duration of the semester. To make a nomination please follow the steps on the eLearning Solutions Service website.

Email help@learn.uq.edu.au with "ELSS - nomination" in the subject line. An eLearning advisor will make contact with you to arrange an initial consultation. All advisers have teaching qualifications.

ITaLI TeachAssist

TeachAssist is provided by ITaLI for the UQ community to offer support for their teaching and learning. If you are considering changing your curriculum, its delivery or assessment, evaluating your teaching or perhaps even educational research then get in contact through the ITaLI TeachAssist website. Assistance is available on a range of pedagogical, teaching professional development, evaluations, learning analytics and online learning development activities.

Custom workshops for teaching staff, tutors and professional staff

Custom workshops on centrally supported eLearning tools are available on request for faculties, schools and/or courses. Laptops are provided for the sessions and course coordinators only need to book a meeting room. Contact elearningtraining@uq.edu.au with details of the preferred date, time, room booking and approximate numbers.

TurningPoint ResponseWare software update

Staff planning to use TurningPoint ResponseWare with student mobile devices in 2017 will need to update their software to TurningPoint Cloud (from TurningPoint 5). Due to a change to the licencing agreement in 2017 staff will also need to create a new Turning Technologies account. Refer to the Updating to TurningPoint Cloud (TP7) guide for step-by-step instructions.

TurningPoint clicker users

Staff using only clickers with TurningPoint have the option to either continue using TurningPoint 5 in 2017 or updating to TurningPoint Cloud. Due to receiver software needing to be updated for use with TurningPoint Cloud, users of TurningPoint Cloud CANNOT share receivers with users of TurningPoint 5. For further information, refer to the TurningPoint 5 and TurningPoint Cloud (TP7) comparison webpage.

Feature Videos

Video Case Study

UQ’s Kaltura system allows staff to record and upload instructional videos. In the video below, Mr Brett Simmonds explains how he uses a video welcome message in his fourth year Pharmacy course. Watch Video (3.31mins)

Make your course available

By default Learn.UQ courses are not available to students when they are first created. To make your course visible to students you need to change the availability. The video below explains this process. Watch Video (0.51mins)